Troubleshooting Connect for Chromebooks

This article provides troubleshooting for the Connect for Chromebooks feature.

If you have recently changed the host name of the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall and are having issues with Connect for Chromebooks, check to make sure the host name in the certificate matches with the host name of your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall.

Connect for Chromebooks' Icons and Status

Connect for Chromebooks has an icon in the Chrome browser. It displays the extension and user authentication status:

Status Icon

Description

The user is logged into Connect for Chromebooks, and browsing is allowed.

Connect for Chromebooks is running but has an error.

Connect for Chromebooks has an error.

Click the icon to open a dialog box with a detailed description of the current status:

Status

Description

The user credentials of the logged in user are displayed.

Connect for Chromebooks is unable to connect to the Internet to authenticate the user.

There is a problem with Connect for Chromebooks.

Connect for Chromebooks is busy.

Connect for Chromebooks Log

The log contains details of the user activity from the Chromebook it is installed on, namely which users have logged on, and the status of their login.

To view the log:

On the Chromebook, click the Connect for Chromebooks icon:

In the dialog box, click Diagnostics.

Origin_Mismatch Error

If you are using Google verification with Connect for Chromebooks, you might find that your users see this error in their Chrome browser when they click the red Google sign-in button. It indicates that the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall host name doesn't match the one configured in the Google API console for the web application (Authorized JavaScript origins). See the knowledge base article, Where do I get the Client ID and Client Secret from for Google authentication?

Ensure that the host name configured is the Smoothwall appliance fully qualified host name, for example:

https://local.smoothwall.com:442

Note: Host names are case-sensitive. Therefore, you must configure the Authorized JavaScript origins parameter to be exactly the same as the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall host name.

Invalid_Client Error

If you are using Google verification with Connect for Chromebooks, you might find that your users see this error in their Chrome browser when they click the red Google sign-in button. It indicates that the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall is sending either the Client ID or Client Secret, or both to Google for user verification purposes and they don't match those in the web application created in the Google API console. See the knowledge base article, Where do I get the Client ID and Client Secret from for Google authentication?

In the Google API console, on the Credentials page, copy the Client ID and Client Secret again.

On the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall SERVICES menu, under the Authentication submenu, click Google and retype the Client ID and Client Secret.

Unable to Determine a Proxy Server

If Connect for Chromebooks is unable to determine a proxy server or your network is configured for a transparent proxy method, you need to add an additional DNS entry to your local DNS settings:

autodiscover.smoothwall.net mapped to the internal IP address of the Smoothwall.

This is because Connect for Chromebooks uses this domain name when attempting to communicate directly with the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall in the absence of a proxy setup.

My Network uses a Transparent Proxy Method

If you network uses a transparent proxy method, you need to add the DNS entry mentioned earlier in this article.